Automated Password Reset Software - Blanket Purchase Agreement

The Department of State (DoS), Bureau of Information Resource Management (IRM), Information Technology Service Center (ITSC) needs a method of empowering users to reset their password to the DoS internal network without the assistance of a manual helpdesk service. The Government requires a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software product that allows users to securely reset their own passwords and create a new password on their own. Allowing the users to manage their own account passwords should reduce the number of tickets to the ITSC and reduce downtime experienced by the DoS user community.

The ITSC manages hundreds of network password reset tickets each month through a help ticket system based on BMC Remedy software. Over a six month period between October of 2009 and March of 2010 the ITSC received over 10,000 account and password reset tickets. The task of resetting a password or unlocking an account is technically trivial. However, the volume of tickets translates into a tremendous amount of time needed for ITSC staff to manage user accounts and close out the tickets.

Most of the DoS application systems have implemented single sign-on functionality in order to streamline access to application systems. When a user logs into the network through Active Directory (AD), he/she will be automatically logged into single sign-on application systems. However, there are a limited number of application systems that require authorized users to enter separate credentials for security reasons.

The objective of this Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) is to provide to the DoS an easily orderable COTS software solution meeting core system and functional requirements that allows DoS network users to securely reset their own passwords and creating a new password on their own.